Spain faced Poland in the first semi-final. Two different styles as te attacking side of Spain pushed the technical Polish team. They defended those attacks well and were rewarded with a pc early in the second half which Tatarczuk slotted home. A direct strike just before the 3rd quarter break from Spain brought the game back to 1-1. Poland came back to 2-1 and held out for a historic win and a chance to go one better than their silver medal in 2016.
Germany took on Austria. With a 100% record on their matchups, it was a mountain to climb for the Austrian side. A penalty stroke was the difference between the sides in the first quarter as Germany went ahead 1-0. Germany doubled their lead with a reverse strike from Wanner, Germany added two more as the game ended 4-0 at halftime. A masterclass from Germany as they ended the game 7-0.
The final game of the day was for 9th/10th place as Türkiye faced Italy. A strong performance from both sides with goals aplenty but it was Türkiye saw them finish this event on a high with a 10-7 win over Italy.
The 5th/8th place playoffs concluded at the start of the evening session with Czechia finally finding their form here in Berlin with a win over Switzerland (4-0) to secure an indoor World Cup place. A classy performance led by their captain Lehovcova which has earned them show down with Belgium for the 5th/6th place.
Belgium, having been beaten earlier by Germany found their energy to grab the final World Cup place, shepherded by their captain Delforge against a disconnected Ukraine team, who seemed to be out of ideas this afternoon. Final score of 4-1.
Switzerland will now face Ukraine in the 7th/8th game tomorrow morning. Both are safe in the division for 2026, but each game means a higher-ranking finish for the next edition of the EuroHockey Indoor championship and the World Cup.
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Earlier we completed the Pool games with a very intense battle between Pool B’s Poland and Austria. Austria needed a win or a draw to ensure a semi-final slot, but a win would see them avoid Germany in the semi-final. Poland, with a 100% record so far was aiming for the win and to avoid Germany in the semi-final. Austria dominated possession in the first half and was rewarded with a goal from Pultar. A defensive error saw Poland equalise via a touch from Mazur. A missed stroke from Austria saw the quarter end 1-1. The final quarter would determine the pool and if Ukraine still had a chance for a semi-final slot! Poland held possession in the final quarter to end the game 1-1 and top the pool.
The second game of the day had now a different focus as there are 6 Indoor World Cup places at stake. Ukraine. Ukraine showed no sign of disappointment in missing the semi-finals and came out strong. A classy performance put them 3-0 ahead at the break, with possibly the goal of the tournament from Shokalenko on the baseline. A final score of 4-0 means Ukraine finishes 3rd in Pool B just one point behind Austria. Switzerland finishes 4th and still has a chance at one of those Indoor World Cup slots.
In Pool A Czechia faced Türkiye, a draw would been enough for Czechia to stay in the division. They went comfortably ahead 3-1 in the first half. Czechia did enough in the second half defensively to control the game and it finished 6-1 in their favour.
The final Pool game was between Germany and Belgium. The hosts produced an assured performance, doing enough to ensure a top pool finish, final score 3-5.
* You can watch the action live from Berlin from the women’s EuroHockey Indoor Championship on www.eurohockeytv.org. Note the 9th/10th place playoff will not be broadcast.
** For full match stats, results and tables, click here
Photograph: A full house! (World sport pics / EuroHockey (c))
